Door-fastening mechanism



F. KNOWLSON AND J. H. S TE VENSON.

DOOR FASTENING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION man OCT. 1. 1920.

1,370,975, Patented Mar. 8, 1921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1: T

F :[uuuuuml 9 F. KNOWLSON AND J. H. STEVENSON.

DOOR FASTENING MECHANISM APPLICATION FILED OCT. I, 1920. 1,370,975.-Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

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FREDERICK KNOWLSON AND JOHN HUBER STEVENSON, OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

DOOR-FASTENING MECHANISM.

. Specification 0f Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed October 1, 1920. Serial No. 414,152.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK KNOWL- SON and J0EE HUBER STEvENsoN,respectively a British subject and a citizen of the United States,residing at Ann Arbor, county of lVashtenaw, State of Michigan, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Door- FasteningMechanism, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it pertains to make and use the same, refer.- ence being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to door fasteners or a door fastening mechanismsecured to the door in such a manner as to hold the door in its openposition, but releasable so as to permit closing of the door.

The object is to provide for a swinging door a fastening device capableof holding the door in its open position against any jar, shock orthrust which it might be given by a gust of wind, or otherwise, yet soadapted that the door may be easily closed by the one operating it.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a perspective showing our device secured to a swinging door.

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly broken away of our device.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in section of the latch bar and catch carried bythe door frame.

Fig. 4: is a View similar to Fig. 1 except that the latch bar has beenmoved farther along relative to the catch.

Fig. 5 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 3 during the operation andclosing of the door.

Fig. 6 is a modified in its locked position.

Fig. 7 is a view of the modification shown in Fig. 6, the bar being openbeyond its locked position. I

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 except that the latch bar is movedfarther along relative to the catch.

Fig. 9 is a view of the modification shown in Fig. 6 during theoperation of closing the door.

Fig. 10 is another modified form of our device during the closingoperation of the door.

form of my device member a secured to the lintel c.

Fig. 11 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 10 in the opening of thedoor.

Our device is in the form of a latch bar provided with a stop adapted tocooperate with a fixed catch forming a slidable contact therewith in theopening and closing of the door. This latch bar stop is adapted to beengaged by the catch when the door is 1n a determined open position tosecure the door at suchposition. The latch bar is further provided witha swinging guard member or cam adapted to be released as the door isopened sufiiciently to permit such cam to pass the fixed catch so thatupon the return of the catch along the latch bar during the closing ofthe door the cam will swing into position to prevent the stop on thelatch bar from engaging the catch.

Let a indicate the wall of a building; I)

swinging door secured thereto, and c the lintel of the door frame.

A latch bar indicated as d is shown as being provided with a section 03hinged at one end thereof. This section d is adapted to be secured tothe top rail of the door, as shown in Fig. 1. The latch bar itself isshown in elevation in Fig. 2. This latch bar is adapted to form asliding contact with a catch or a guide In the form shown in the figuresof the drawing, the catch is illustrated as a guide member perforated sothe latch bar will pass therethrough. It is quite apparent that thiscatch might be of such a character that the latch bar would merely passthereover or alongside the same, so adapted that they would form asliding contact with each other, in order that when the notch f in thelatch bar arrives alongside the catch it would be engaged therebypreventing the return of the latch bar and the consequent closing of thedoor. To prevent binding between the catch and the latch bar in itsmovement therethrough the catch is shown as being swiveled to a catchplate 6 by means of a pin 6 such plate being securely attached to thelintel. This pivotal mounting of the catch will permit its free movementwith the movement of the latch bar.

The latchbar is provided with a stop adapted to engage the catch so asto secure the door in its open position. This stop is here shown as anotch 7 cut in one edge of the latch bar. This is a simple form of stopwhen the latch bar is adapted to ride over the catch, but it is quiteevident that a stop in the form of a boss or any other convenientprojection or recess adapted to engage with the fixed catch member wouldequally well serve the purpose.

The latch bar is further provided with a swinging cam or guard g securedthereto so that as the door is opened, it will not interfere with theengagement of the catch and the latch bar stop, but as the door isfurther opened, the guard member swings free of the fixed catch 6, andas the door is closed and the latch bar returns along over the catchthis guard member swings in such a manner relative the latch bar as topre vent the catch from engaging the latch bar stop and permits theclosing of the door.

In the form of swinging cam shown in Figs. 1 to 5, of the drawings, thecam is swung from one side of the latch bar and is so shaped that whenthe latch bar returns over the catch, as shown in Figs. l and 5, the camswings alongside the latch bar so as to prevent the catch from engagingwith the notch f cut in such bar. The perforation in the catch throughwhich the latch bar travels is cut out at the side to provide apassageway through which this swinging cam may move in thereciprocation'of the latch bar, also forming a shoulder adapted toengage the cam during the closing of the door.

In Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, the swinging guard or cam is pivoted in agroove in the latch bar and adapted to swing out of the way to permitthe opening of the door until the catch clears this swin 'in 'uard, as

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shown in Figs. 7 and 8, but adapted to swing back into position as thecatch returns along the latch bar, engaging the catch and preventing itfrom engaging the notch or stop on the latch bar.

Fig. 6 shows the position of the catch and latch bar when the door issecured in the i open position.

Figs. 10 and 11 show yet another modification. Swinging cams or guardsof a large number of-forms might be employed and also their method ofbeing secured to the latch bar might be widely varied. We have shownsome of the preferred forms of cams and methods of securing the same tothe door. The cam shown in Figs. 10 and 11 is a two-prong one and themanner of operation is apparent from the drawing.

catch carried by the frame, as shown in Figs. 4 and 8, the spring beingcompressed between the fixed stop '5 on the latch against which thespring is seated and the catch or guide member 6, the latch bar beingdrawn through the guide member until the swinging cam is free.

lVhat we claim is:

1. Incombination with a swinging door, a latch bar secured tothe door, afixed catch secured to the door frame. with which catch the latch barforms a sliding contact in the opening or closing of the door, suchlatch bar provided with a stop adapted to engage such fixed catch whenthe door is opened to a determined position, a swinging cam secured tosuch latch bar in such manner that when the ba is opened such a distancethat the cam is between the door and the fixed catch upon the returnmovement of the latch bar alongside the catch such cam will prevent thecatch from engaging the stop 011 the bar.

2. In combination with a swinging door, a latch bar secured to the door,a fixed catch secured to the frame but adapted to slidably engage withsuch latch bar so as to pass therealong'in the opening and closing of hedoor, such latch bar provided with a stop adapted to be engaged by suchcatch when the door is opened to a determined position, a guard membersecured to such latch bar near such stop in-such a manner as to swingalongside the latch bar so as to prevent the engagement of the stop bythe catch as they pass each other upon the closing of the door from adetermined opened position.

In combination with a swinging door, afixed catch secured to the doorframe, a latch bar secured at one end to the door adapted to pass alongsaid catch forming a sliding contact therewith in the opening andclosing ot the door, said latch bar provided with a notch adapted to beengaged by such catch at a certain open position of the door to preventclosing of the door, a swinging cam secured to such latch bar in such amanner that when the door is opened to such a distance that when theswinging cam passes by the fixed catch when the door is closed the camis engaged by the fixed catch preventing the engagement of the catch bythe latch bar notch.

4:. In combination with a swinging door, a fixed catch carried by thedoor frame, a latch bar carried by the door adapted to pass over thecatch forming a sliding contact therewith in the opening and closing ofthe door, said latch bar provided with a stop adapted to be engaged bysaidcatch to hold the door in an open position, a cam secured to thelatch bar so as to swing relative the stop so as to prevent the stopfrom being engaged by the catch.

5. In combination with a swinging door and a door frame, a fixed catchswiveled to the door frame, a latch bar, one end of which is secured tothe door and vwhich is adapted to slidably engage such catch in such a.man ner that when the door is opened and closed the latch bar isreciprocated over the catch, said latch bar provided with a stop adaptedto engage said catch when the door is opened to a determined position, aswinging cam carried by the latch bar adapted to be tripped by the catchwhen the latch bar is moved over the catch beyond the stop on the bar sothat when the bar is reciprocated over the catch in the closing of thedoor such cam will swing to such a position relative the stop on the baras to prevent the engagement of said stop by the catch.

6. In combination with a swinging door, a door fastening mechanismcomprising a fixed catch member and a sliding latch bar adapted to bereciprocated over said catch in the opening and closing of said door,said latch bar provided with a stop adapted to be engaged by said catchwhen the door is in a certain open position, a movable member carried bysaid latch bar adapted to be actuated by said catch in the closing ofthe door to enable the stop on the latch bar to pass the catch withoutbeing engaged thereby.

7. In combination with a swinging door, a door fastening mechanism formaintaining the door in its open position, comprising a fixed catchmember carried by the frame and a latch bar pivoted to the door adaptedto travel over said catch forming a slidable contact therewith in theopening and closing of the door, said latch bar provided with a stopadapted to be engaged by said catch when the door is in a determinedopen position to prevent the return of the latch bar along the catch andconsequent closing of the door, a movable member carried by the latchbar adapted to be tripped by the catch as the latch bar is movedthereover in the further opening of the door beyond the stop,

a spring carried by said latch bar adapted to resist such movement ofsaid latch bar over the catch beyond the determined position indicatedby the stop on the latch bar, said swinging member after the same istripped adapted to engage the catch in the closing of the door toprevent the catch from being engaged by the stop on the latch bar.

8. In combination with a swinging door and door frame, a fixed catchcarried by one of said members, a latch bar carried by the other, saidlatch bar adapted to reciprocally travel over the catch in the openingand closing of the door, said latch bar provided with a stop adapted toengage said catch in a certain open position, a movable member carriedby said latch bar adapted to engage such catch so as to prevent thelatch bar stop from engaging the same as the door is closed and after ithas been opened a determined distance.

9. In combination with a swinging door and door frame, a fixed catchcarried by the frame, a latch bar pivoted to the door engaged with saidcatch so as to slide thereover 1n the opening and closing of the door,said latch bar provided with a stop adapted to be engaged by said catchto secure the door in a determined open position against closing, aswinging member pivoted to said latch bar so as to be tripped by saidcatch when the latch bar is moved over the catch beyond the stop on thebar, means for yieldingly resisting the movement of said latch bar overthe catch to trip said swinging member, said swinging member adapted todrop into position after it has been tripped so as to engage the catchin the closing of the door in such a manner as to prevent the stop onthe latch bar from engagaing said catch, thereby permitting the closingof the door.

In testimony whereof we sign this specification.

FREDERICK KNOWLSON. JOHN HUBER STEVENSON.

